The U.S. has really dropped the ball on this looting issue. If the order had been given early on to shoot any looters, the U.S. standing would be much higher. Even the other Arab countries would not have said a word against it - it is standard procedure in times like this, everywhere in the world, for centuries. 2 or 3 looters get themselves shot, and everybody else quickly calms down.

Now that the U.S. forces have allowed this to go on for 2 whole days, the Iraqis have probably lost all respect for the Americans, both looters and non-looters alike. Respect for the U.S. by other Arabs (however grudgingly given) has also been damaged by the refusal to stomp out this looting early.

That said, I am shocked at the incredible behaviour of the Iraqis. Looting a hospital, and whatever they could not carry off, they burned! Their own f&cking hospital!!! They need it!

"the Iraqis have probably lost all respect for the Americans, both looters and non-looters alike."
The Iraqis ARE the looters. This doesn't surprise me one bit. My experience with Arabs is that many of them will steal anything that isn't bolted down. Watch the news, many are taking equipment from hospitals, when they haven't the slightest clue what it is. But maybe they can trade or sell it to someone else. Now, I'm against generalizations, but theft is FAR more common, and accepted as part of daily life by the Arabs I have known.
As for the Americans, they are fighting a war! They can't stop and turn into policemen all of a sudden. Their own security, and the military aims they have set out to accomplish are far more important than stopping the Iraqis from stealing from one another.

Like I said, I don't think they would complain. Looting is commonplace whenever there is a disruption of civil services, and an order to shoot looters is the only time-proven way to stop it.

At first, the looting was probably limited, but as soon as they saw that the Americans were not interested in doing anything about it, they "went to town". Had themessage been conveyed early that looting would not be tolerated, the damage would have been very limited, and nobody would have complained.

Avt007,

Only some Iraqis are the looters. According to reports, most people are staying in their homes to make sure that they don't get looted.

Clipper,

The looters have reached depths of bad behaviour rarely before reached. I mean, looting and burning their own hospitals and schools, which they will need! So most of the blame goes to them, but the Americans have not acted appropriately, as required of them by the Geneva Conventions, to keep order and prevent pillage.

So how many troops are going to be needed to patrol and police a city of 5 million people? And how many of those would have to speak Arabic? It is not a practical consideration right now, there is still fighting going on.

I have to say that I agree to some extent with Charles' post.
The Saddam regime was tyrannical and brutal but maintained order in Iraq; now it has collapsed absolutely and the country is under total anarchy, there is no police, nothing to prevent widespread looting, vendettas, etc.

And apart than criticising the incredible behaviour of the Iraqis, think for moment what would happen if the NYPD, National Guard and all the order corps disappeared suddenly, like it just happened in Bagdad, don't you think you would see the same stuff in Wall Street and Park Avenue???

"And apart than criticising the incredible behaviour of the Iraqis, think for moment what would happen if the NYPD, National Guard and all the order corps disappeared suddenly, like it just happened in Bagdad, don't you think you would see the same stuff in Wall Street and Park Avenue???"

They have:

Los Angeles riots and looting after the Rodney King trial.

And the looting in Florida after hurricane Andrew.

About the topic:

I heard on CNN that the Pentagon was asking other countries to donate police forces to restore order in Iraq. Do they mean other Arab countries or anybody? If it's the latter I think Canada should step in, we're good at peacekeeping.

The German police has helping training and equipping post-war polices in Macedonia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, and donated them old equipment. I think if we can help the Iraqi people now, we should take action. On the other hand, Bush probably doesn't want us there.

I have finished watching both CNN and BBC World and I have never seen such biased reporting.They kept on going for the need of security unitl the cows and they blaming the coalition for it.They never mentioned that there are still pockets of resistence and a threat from suicide bombers.Also they are building it up to seem that the coalition has lost total control of the stituation-and its only been about 3 days since Baghdad has fallen!All they seem to do is build the coalition up(before the war),bring it down(when they ran into stiff resistance),bring them up again when Baghdad fell and now bring them down because impoverished Iraqis are looting.

Just a few minutes ago,BBC World conducted an interview with an MP from the UK Parlimentary Human Rights Comittee, an Oxfam Spokesman,a US CENTCOM spokeman and a UN aid spokeswoman(she was french,more on that later). So anyway the presenter asked the UN person about what they aimed to do in terms of aid when security was restored and instead what did she do?She started going on about how bad the security was without even mentioneing the aid.The the presenter had to stop her and told her to stop going on about the politics involved and just answer the question,but she still went on about how bad the security was.

Same with the oxfam person.When asked what oxfam was going to do,he went on like the UN aid rep about how bad the security is and even said this and I quote "Its harder to distribute water than to liberate Iraq".

Thankfully the UK MP gave a decent response.She said that the coalition still needed time given the current situation and that the Iraqi people whom after years of surpression would take their fustration out on government buildings,but she said the looting of hospitals was worrying though.Finally she was asked about who would pay for the Iraqi reconstruction and she said the usual about the IMF and the World Bank etc...and I quote again.."It woud be nice if France,Russia and Germany could cancel the debt that Iraq owes them.

Sure looters been shot by allied troops, mostly for driving like crazy. The allies
first priority is safety, property of Iraq isn´t important at all.
Still a war going on, the show down in Tikrit will be the end of the Tikrit mobsters era...

The Iraqis ARE the looters. This doesn't surprise me one bit. My experience with Arabs is that many of them will steal anything that isn't bolted down. Watch the news, many are taking equipment from hospitals, when they haven't the slightest clue what it is. But maybe they can trade or sell it to someone else. Now, I'm against generalizations, but theft is FAR more common, and accepted as part of daily life by the Arabs I have known.
As for the Americans, they are fighting a war! They can't stop and turn into policemen all of a sudden. Their own security, and the military aims they have set out to accomplish are far more important than stopping the Iraqis from stealing from one another.

Please explain...........does this apply to kikes, nigger and spicks too?

Teenage-know-it-alls should be shot on sight

25 Airplay
: It's not the US military's role to stop looting per se. That's like saying a mother and father isn't responsible for raising a child. We must all deal

26 Yyz717
: That's like saying a mother and father isn't responsible for raising a child. Iraqi adults are grown men & women responsible for their own actions. If

27 Airplay
: Iraqi adults are grown men & women responsible for their own actions. If they choose willingly to loot, that's their call. There are no police. There

28 Yyz717
: There was an existing police force in Iraq. Where is it now? Probably looting also.